A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal panel wherein a liquid crystal layer is encapsulated between a pair of substrates as a display panel. The liquid crystal panel is, for example, of the transmission type wherein it modulates illuminating light emitted from an illumination apparatus such as a backlight provided on the rear face of the liquid crystal panel and transmits the modulated light therethrough. Then, display of an image is carried out on the front face of the liquid crystal panel with the modulated illuminating light.
The liquid crystal panel built in the liquid crystal display apparatus is, for example, of the active matrix type and includes a TFT array substrate having a pixel region in which a plurality of thin film transistors (TFTs) which function as pixel switching elements are formed, an opposing substrate opposing so as to face the TFT array substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT array substrate and the opposing substrate.
In the liquid crystal panel of the active matrix type, an electric field produced between a pixel electrode and a common electrode by inputting a potential to the pixel electrode from a pixel switching element is applied to the liquid crystal layer to vary the orientation of liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer. By this, the transmission factor of light to be transmitted through the pixel is controlled to modulate the light to pass therethrough to carry out display of an image.
In such a liquid crystal panel as just described, in addition to a TN (Twisted Nematic) mode, an ECB (Electrically Controlled Birefringence) mode, a vertical orientation mode and so forth, various display modes such as an IPS (In-Plane-Switching) type and an FFS (Fringe Field Switching) type are known as modes wherein a transverse electric field is applied to a liquid crystal layer (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In the modes wherein a transverse electric field is applied, it has been proposed to apply dual domains (refer to, for example, Patent Document 3).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 10-170924
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-226200
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-264231